That's why I thought Bob was putting us on with a clever play on words! But George Eliot was a woman that had mannish characteristics, right? So maybe she should have written Middlesex instead of Middlemarch.

JC (NC) wrote:I'm surprised by the number of women who would still finish the glass of wine. Looks like I'm in the minority here even in my own gender.

<b>This article</b> may shed some additional light on this issue. In short, wine's anti-bacterial effects almost certainly neutralize any germs that the insect brings to the party. It's certainly legitimate to shun the afflicted glass if you feel squeamish, but as a medical matter, it's reasonably safe to assume that the wine will disinfect the critter.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The purported health benefits of wine are once again being touted by the industry claiming the Greek god Bacchus among its founders.

Wine makers have touted studies linking wine with good cardiovascular health. Now the industry is hailing a study of wine's ability to kill harmful bacteria contained in food.
Weisse

Dr. Martin Weisse of West Virginia University has conducted research suggesting one to two glasses of wine with your meals may help prevent food poisoning, dysentery, and so-called traveler's diarrhea. (153K AIFF sound or 153K WAV sound)

Weisse's research, published last year in the British Medical Journal, showed both red and white wine to be more effective at wiping out bacteria than other types of alcohol, or even Pepto Bismol.

Weisse thinks there is a compound in wine released during fermentation that kills bacteria such as E. coli, salmonella, and shigella.

In anecdotal support of his research, Weisse notes people in ancient times frequently drank wine as a digestive aid.

It looks as though while I was away for a bit this wine discussion has taken a bit of a literary turn. I'll chime in here... I also found Middlesex to be a very enjoyable read, and not at all what I had expected. It earned a place on my Favorites list.

"A bottle of wine begs to be shared; I have never met a miserly wine lover." --- Clifton Fadiman

Judi Kaye wrote:It looks as though while I was away for a bit this wine discussion has taken a bit of a literary turn. I'll chime in here... I also found Middlesex to be a very enjoyable read, and not at all what I had expected. It earned a place on my Favorites list.

Yes, Middlesex was one of my favorite novels of 2002. I think that most people, when informed of its subject matter, would be likely to dismiss it as contrived or uninteresting, but it's a marvelously written, emotionally deep novel that I feel almost qualifies as "magic realism." Motivated by that experience, I then went on to read "The Virgin Suicides" which I didn't like nearly as much. I feel that Jeffrey Eugenides really developed as a novelist between the two books.

Does anyone else here feel as though we should pull a cork on a bottle, and enjoy some nice vino with this discussion? I have a very nice 2006 Willamette Valley Vineyards Whole Berry Fermented Pinot Noir that would be fun to share...

"A bottle of wine begs to be shared; I have never met a miserly wine lover." --- Clifton Fadiman

I don't think many folks would throw out a nice juicy steak just because a fly landed on it. We'd just shush it away with a wave of our hand. So what's the difference between that and flicking a fly out of our wine glass?!